


Heimat ist kein Ort

by SayaTsukihime



Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: A tiny bit of amnesia, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Humor, Arrogance, Attempt at Humor, Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Neglect, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Dead Rabbits, Demons, Developing Friendships, Drama, Endzeit, Eventual Romance, Families of Choice, Family Bonding, Family Issues, First Bloods/Founders, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Game Spoilers, Great Teacher Ruki, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Karlheinz is a creep, Karlheinz messing with memories, Magic, Multi, OC has no idea how to human, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Parent/Child Incest, Pre-Canon, Ruki doesn't know shit about surviving in the wilderness, Ruki regrets everything, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Rivalry, Slow Burn, Somewhat historically accurate setting, Teasing, The Author Regrets Nothing, The Mukamibros as kids, The Sakamaki as kids, Time Travel, Undecided Relationship(s), Vampires, Vibora - Freeform, Weird Fluff, Weirdness, Wolf Instincts, World War I, smol Ruki riding a wolf like Princess Mononoke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:48:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23233513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SayaTsukihime/pseuds/SayaTsukihime
Summary: After being abandoned by his mother and losing his father to suicide, young Ruki is living on the streets and waiting for death to find him. Something does indeed find him, but it's not death.As a white-haired child with sharp fangs licks blood from his cheek, Ruki wonders where he did go wrong and how he could escape from the amnesiac weirdo that has attached themself to him.(Crossposted on fanfiction.net)
Relationships: Komori Yui/?, Mukami Ruki/Original Female Character(s), Original Female Character/Sakamaki ?
Comments: 23
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should be focusing on my other stories or on more productive things, but this idea just won't leave me alone¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> 

When the stranger came to, their head was pounding as if someone had drilled a hole in it. It was agonizing and made them want to curl into a ball and never wake up again. They could hardly form a coherent thought.

What was going on? Why were they in so much pain?

They tried to open their eyes, but had to close them again because the bright sunlight only worsened the splitting headache and hurt their eyes.

Was it always this bright in their room?

They couldn't remember, but this kind of brightness seemed to be unnatural. They also couldn't recall what their room in the castle looked like.

Castle...? Where did that come from? Did they live in a castle?

Where they of noble blood? How old were they?

Who...? Who were they?

They couldn't _remember_.

Pain shot through their head as the amnesiac tried to recall something, anything, and they let out a groan in response. A strong feeling of uneasiness overcame them when they realised that they couldn't remember their name or identity, their gender, past, or even where they were.

While they were still unable to open their eyes or concentrate on anything other than the pain in their head, the amnesiac could feel that they were lying on their back and on a cold, hard surface.

Cobblestones?

However, they could also smell water, grass and fallen leaves close by. It was the scent of autumn.

Were they lying on a path in a park? If so, why?

Their muscles and bones ached when they attempted to move, and their headache got worse with the movement, too, so they continued to lie motionlessly where they had woken up and kept their eyes closed. The amnesiac wondered if someone would come by and help them, but they couldn't hear anything apart from running water and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Wherever they were, they seemed to be alone.

* * *

They must have dozed off for some time, because they felt a lot better the next time they opened their eyes. The splitting headache had receded to a dull ache and their body didn't feel like they'd been run over by a pack of wolves anymore. The sky wasn't as bright as before either; the blinding blue had turned into a dark orange colour.

Finally, the amnesiac could sit up but was a little woozy when they did so. However, despite being able to think clearly, they still couldn't remember who they were or where they were. Not knowing these vital things made them feel lost and rather anxious.

In the hopes of finding any clues concerning their identity or whereabouts, they inspected themself. They were wearing black boots and gloves made out of leather, pants and an elegant tailcoat in the same colour but with white linings and cuffs and silver details, as well as a black waistcoat and white dress shirt with a jabot.

The clothes were well-made, so they assumed that they had been expensive. Were they rich? Or were they really a noble of some kind?

A search through the pockets of their tailcoat proved somewhat fruitful, too. They discovered...

A knife. A perfectly sharp and rather large knife that was ideal for stabbing someone. Oh, but it got even better when they checked their other pocket.

Why?

Because there was a second knife.

They furrowed their brows in confusion. Why the heck did they have two very dangerous knives in their pockets?

They were of slightly different designs, but both felt familiar in the amnesiac's grip, which puzzled them even more. Were they some kind of knife maniac?

As they continued to scrutinize the two knives, or rather, daggers, they discovered letters on each of the hilts. They were of a runic script, but they could read the letters without any difficulties.

 _'Little Spitfire'_ was engraved on one knife, while the other said _'Nika'._

Nika... that name struck the amnesiac as familiar. Was it their name?

Unfortunately, they didn't find a purse or something else that could point to their identity or whereabouts. They had nothing but those two knives and the clothes they were wearing.

Maybe their surroundings could help them to figure things out. They were sitting in the paved entrance of some sort of underground waterway that led into a mountain. How strange. They had no idea what was on the other end and whether they had come from there or whether they'd wanted to enter it before they lost their memories.

They weren't keen on exploring the waterway and turned to the landscape instead. The entrance of the passageway was surrounded by bushes and trees, a small forest, but they could see the end of it as well as more trees, a grassy plane, and some buildings in the distance.

Perhaps there would be people there who could help them to figure things out?

It was certainly worth a try. Nothing here was familiar to the amnesiac and they didn't pick up any familiar scents either, so they definitely needed any assistance they could get.

They forced themself onto their feet and used the stone wall as a crutch. Their first few steps were a little wobbly but they got used to walking quickly. Just like their hands, their feet and body were small, which made the amnesiac wonder whether they were an adult or a child.

They didn't even know whether they were female or male. Their chest was perfectly flat, which didn't really give them a clue, so they decided to check themself once they'd entered the forest.

It was beyond them why they possessed all this knowledge about random things but had no idea who they were, apart from perhaps being called Nika. It was better than nothing, though, they guessed.

When they had found a suitable bush to hide behind, they dropped their pants and took a good look at what lied down there in the nether regions. From the lack of fleshy stick they could determine that they, no, _she_ , was definitely female and pulled up her pants again.

She was a girl. Or a very short and flat-chested woman. But why was she wearing boy's clothes then?

One more question to add to the rest. She liked the clothes, though, so it wasn't an issue.

She continued her journey towards the buildings that seemed to be the outskirts of a village. The closer she got, the stranger it became. Many of the buildings were blackened and had collapsed, and the streets were empty and neglected.

This place appeared as if it had been abandoned after a fire. Any hope she had in regards to finding help died when she strolled through the dirty streets. She wasn't able to sense any people in the area.

A glance into the houses that were still standing confirmed that there was no one there. In addition, the letters she spotted on some of the buildings were vaguely familiar, albeit it was a different script than the one on her daggers and she couldn't understand the meaning of the words.

Despite the state of the village, she asked for verbal confirmation, “Hello? Is anybody there?”

A shutter crashed to the ground a few meters behind her and made her jump in surprise – she noted that she'd drawn both of her knives and had assumed some sort of defensive stance on reflex – but other than that she received no answer.

She let out a sigh. This wasn't going to be easy, was it?

* * *

Nika decided to travel down one of the paths that led out of the abandoned village and followed the road. She became more energetic once the sun had set and the waxing moon shone down upon the earth. She sighed in relief. Now, the stupid sunlight didn't irritate her eyes anymore.

She came across a little pond on the side of the road and was instantly struck by an idea. She'd forgotten to take a look at herself in the village earlier. Nika was curious what her appearance was like.

Maybe she would remember something if she saw her face?

The girl squatted down at the edge of the pond and peered into the water. Shiny golden eyes and a pale, childish face that was framed by white hair greeted her. She also had three golden piercings in each of her ears.

Her hair didn't go past her chin and stood up in wild spikes at the sides, which gave her a more boyish appearance despite her delicate features. If she hadn't checked what lied underneath her pants, she would have mistaken herself for a ten year old boy.

The image of a young man with long white hair and the same golden eyes as her suddenly overlapped her own image and sent a flash of pain through her head.

Who was that? Her father? Her older brother?

She didn't know the answer but had the feeling that he was definitely part of her family. Her heart ached at the thought of his image.

No other memories resurfaced, so the amnesiac continued her journey, confused but unafraid of the night.

* * *

She made a few breaks on the way but she didn't feel particularly thirsty or hungry just yet, which she counted as a small blessing. Her feet began to hurt by the time the moon was beginning to make its descent, though. That was when she finally spotted a town in the distance.

The lone traveller's mood brightened immediately, and she quickened her steps. Soon, she entered the town and was greeted by several smells, pleasant and unpleasant alike. There were no people out on the streets she passed through, but she could sense them in their houses.

Nika was confused about this discovery.

Why would someone want to sleep on such a beautiful night as this? The moon and night were much more appealing to the girl than the sun and day.

Weren't you supposed to sleep during the day?

As she walked past smaller side alleys, she finally spotted some people that she could ask for assistance. They were draped in blankets and were sleeping close to the house walls.

The amnesiac was about to approach them, but then a foul odour reached her nose that made her stop in her tracks. She scrunched up her nose in revulsion. These people stunk almost as badly as the alley itself and the rubbish in it.

Deciding that they were too smelly for her taste, Nika turned on her heels and continued her search for a non-smelly person that she could ask for help. She came across more alleys with stinky people like that and backtracked every time. Hours seemed to pass and she was beginning to lose hope about finding a person with no offensive odour.

Maybe she should just get over her sensitivities. This was beginning to annoy her. She wanted some answers!

After the next alley she was going to ask one of the smelly people for help even if she'd hate every second of it.

But then, when Nika was almost ready to give up, she discovered someone who didn't smell as foul as the others. The girl approached the lone huddled figure on the ground with a smile and inspected it.

The figure turned out to be a boy around her age with somewhat greasy black hair and a face that was almost as pale as hers though it was stained with dirt and sported a few bruises. If not for that and his objectionable odour, he could be considered pretty, she thought.

A bath would do him wonders. Maybe she should throw him into a river later.

The boy was wearing a dark tailcoat and clothes that had seen better days but were of a good quality. Underneath his grease and dirt the stranger even didn't smell that bad; his natural scent was acceptable.

Nika was pleased with her find.

The boy shifted uneasily in his sleep, as if he could feel her appraising look on him, and continued to shiver. His lips and skin had a bluish tint to them.

Did that mean that he was cold?

In the girl's opinion the cool air was quite pleasant and refreshing. How could the boy be cold on this fine autumn night? Sure, the dirt puddles she'd passed had been partially frozen, but it still wasn't _that_ cold. There wasn't even snow!

Maybe he was just that weak. Bah.

In any case, Nika had chosen him as the one who was going to assist her. She squatted down next to the lucky boy and used a gloved finger to poke him in the cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nika has found her vic-*ahem* helper.  
> Next up is smol Ruki's POV :D  
> Leave me a comment/kudos to tell me whether you liked this so far, or if you have suggestions for improvement etc. since English is not my native language. I'd really appreciate it :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos!
> 
> For those who are curious what the German title means, 'Heimat ist kein Ort' means 'home is not a place' :D This story starts pre-canon during World War I, but also covers the games eventually. So, Nika will meet the other future Mukamis, Sakamakis, Yui and Tsukinamis in the future.
> 
> Have fun reading Ruki's POV!

Ruki was freezing when something roused him from his sleep. A part of him had hoped that he would finally die somewhat peacefully in his sleep, but once again death eluded him.

He'd slept a lot these past few days in order to forget how hungry he was, but as his consciousness began to return, the hunger was clawing at his stomach again.

Ruki couldn't remember when he'd last eaten something.

Something warm was touching, _poking_ his cheek, which had to be the reason why he'd woken up. Ruki shifted on the cold, hard ground but was not quite awake yet. Even on the edge of sleep his limbs felt numb and his whole body hurt from sleeping on the cold cobblestone.

"Hey," an unknown voice said from next to him – a child judging from the tone – and asked Ruki something in a foreign language he'd never heard before.

It was then that Ruki's eyes snapped open in alarm and he jerked away from the touch of the stranger, being instantly on guard when he realised the warmth on his cheek came from another person. He wondered if he was about to be beaten up again for being a former aristocrat and eyed the newcomer with suspicion and disdain.

Ruki knew better than to trust anyone.

It was dark in the alley, but the moon provided some light. It was just enough to make out that the stranger who had approached him had short white hair, a pale face, and was wearing dark clothes. The boy seemed to be around Ruki's age, perhaps a year or two younger.

However, what unsettled Ruki was the fact that the other boy had golden-yellow eyes, that seemed to gleam slightly in the darkness. Or was that just Ruki's imagination, or a trick of the light? Whatever the answer was, a cold shiver ran down his back and instinctual fear pooled in Ruki's empty stomach as he faced the stranger.

Something told him that the other boy was dangerous. "W-What do you want?" Ruki asked in an unfriendly manner, wanting nothing but to get away from the uncanny boy. His throat felt dry and his voice cracked after not speaking for a long time.

The stranger tilted his head and furrowed his brows. Perhaps he was unable to understand Ruki?

That assumption was proven right when the boy continued to stare blankly at him after Ruki repeated his question. A few tense moments later, the other boy narrowed his eyes, as if in concentration, and Ruki's head suddenly began to hurt. For some reason, the stranger held his head at the same time, as if it had begun to hurt, too.

However, as soon as the headache had appeared, it disappeared again.

"Your... assistance," the white-haired boy finally answered with a heavy, foreign accent, wobbling a little on his feet.

Ruki frowned. "Can't you see that I am in no position to help anyone? Who are you anyway?"

"...I don't know. That's why I want your assistance." The stranger spoke slowly and sounded as if he was trying the words out for the first time.

What was this nutcase trying to tell him? "You don't know... who you are?" Ruki asked incredulously.

The strange child nodded. "I don't remember anything."

Oh no, this was not just a normal weirdo but an amnesiac weirdo. Could it get any worse? Was this Ruki's punishment for his past wrongdoings?

He needed to get away from this spooky boy. Fast. His instincts told Ruki to play along for the time being, though.

The silence between them was interrupted by a loud growl that came from the direction of Ruki's stomach. He blushed in shame as the white-haired boy blinked at him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked Ruki.

Ruki wasn't hungry, he was starving, but he was too proud to admit it so he remained silent. He didn't want to be seen as pitiful even though he knew that he was. He'd rather die than beg or accept charity, though.

"Will you assist me if I find something to eat for you?" the amnesiac asked him.

"It's the middle of the night if you haven't noticed it," Ruki responded. "The grocery stores and the bakeries are closed at this time so you can't buy anything. Unless you want to be beaten to death, I wouldn't recommend breaking in and stealing from a store either."

Ever since summer 1915, the policemen in larger German towns like Mülhausen had to resort to harsh countermeasures to stop starving people from stealing the already sparse and overpriced wares. Meat, butter and eggs had become unaffordable for anyone who didn't belong to the upper class. Bread and potatoes were rationed, and even possessing ration cards was no guarantee that you'd receive a minimum quantity of them because there simply wasn't enough food to feed everyone anymore.

The food situation had only gotten worse since the past winter because the bad autumn weather had led to a poor potato harvest, the German military recruited farmers for the war effort, and the British Naval blockade prevented the import of food. This forced people belonging to the middle and lower class to subsist on turnips that were more weather-resistant.

Since his family had been wealthy and had belonged to the upper class before his father's business went bankrupt, Ruki had hardly noticed these things, only that there was less meat on the menu. But now the daily struggle for food affected him, too. Ruki didn't even have a ration card, nor did he have money to buy the cheap stew that was being offered to the poor daily around noon.

The queues in front of the food stores became longer each day while the people became thinner and the displeasure at the government grew.

"Why do the people in this town sleep at night? That's really weird. The sunlight irritates my eyes," the other boy mused.

Ruki stared at him in disbelief, confused by the change of topic. "...That's just the way it is. Most people aren't active at night like certain animals." He wondered if the amnesiac boy was able to recognize the hidden jibe at him.

It appeared that he wasn't.

"I came across fields and a forest before I entered this town. I sensed animals there..." the stranger trailed off and stared at the ground in thoughts.

"Are you going to hunt some wild animals?" Ruki suggested mockingly and in a dry tone, wondering how exactly the other boy had 'sensed' animals without sufficient light.

This was the strangest encounter he'd ever had.

"I have the feeling I can hunt," the stranger nodded thoughtfully, and then his eerie eyes were back on Ruki. "It's a deal then. I will find you something to eat and you will help me to figure things out in turn."

Before Ruki could protest, the demanding amnesiac had gotten up from his squatting position and had left the alley.

Ruki could only stare at the opening of the alley, where the white-haired boy had vanished.

 _What a troublesome weirdo,_ he thought, feeling very uneasy after the nightly encounter. _I'll change my sleeping place, so he won't be able to find me again._

* * *

True to her word, Nika went out to the field and the adjourning forest where she could smell some animals. Once the smelly boy had gotten something to eat, he would help her without protest, so the quicker she was with hunting and giving him food, the quicker she would get some answers. She could have forced him to listen to her, but she doubted that he'd give his all to help her then. Making a deal where they could both gain something seemed like the best option.

The girl sniffed the air and followed a trail she picked up. The action seemed familiar to her, but it was strange to do it on two legs instead of four.

She stopped in her tracks.

Four legs? Where had that thought come from? Could she hunt on all fours?

There was only one way to find out. Nika inspected her gloved hands and placed them on the grass as she bent over.

Hmm, somehow this didn't feel right. Something was missing... she needed _something_... but what?

Did she require the strange energy again that she'd somehow assessed earlier in order to read the boy's mind and become able to understand him? Using it had hurt her head and had made her feel oddly drained, but it had worked even if she had no idea how and didn't want to use it again like that.

Maybe the energy could also help her in this case, though? It was worth a try.

Nika concentrated on her body to search for the energy within, closing her eyes in the process. Many seconds passed before she stumbled across the mysterious energy that was slumbering inside her.

A tingly feeling welled up in her when she touched whatever she'd found – _magic_ , a voice whispered _–_ and did something with it by instinct. The magic spread throughout her body and enveloped her from all sides, making her feel as if she was stretching out her limbs.

The next thing she knew was that she was staring at white, furry paws instead of gloved hands. Maybe this change should worry Nika, but she was feeling nothing but elation and pride at her achievement.

Yes, this was how it was supposed to be.

* * *

Ruki awoke suddenly when something heavy landed on his stomach, and quickly sat up in shock. There, in his lap, were two hares. Two very dead hares with broken necks. He could still feel the residual warmth of their bodies, which meant that they had been killed recently.

 _What...? How...?_ he wondered.

"There, smelly boy, I brought you not one but _two_ rabbits to eat, so you better keep your word and assist me. It would've been faster if I didn't have to track you down, though," a familiar voice said.

 _No, no, no. Not_ _ **him**_ _again_ , Ruki thought, but these days he never got what he wanted.

He also disliked being called smelly boy, even though it was unfortunately the truth. Living on the streets clashed horribly with body hygiene though Ruki tried to remain as clean as possible. A warm bath was just a fantasy now.

It was around sunrise, so Ruki was able to see more details than in the moonlight. Right in front of him stood the white-haired weirdo and was staring at him with eyes full of expectation. He was a little less creepy at dawn than during the night, but his eyes still looked eerie.

"I never gave you my word on anything," Ruki retorted, hist throat still uncomfortably dry, but the mere mental image of roasted rabbit was enough to make his traitorous stomach growl in want.

The stranger narrowed his eyes. "If you are unwilling to help me, I'm taking these rabbits back. I'll find someone else who will assist me in return for them." He reached out to take the hares from him.

Ruki held onto the animals on reflex and was surprised by his own action. Did he really want to live that badly? Had he not already lost his will to life because there was nothing there for him, nothing to look forward to?

Ruki had no home, no family, no money, and no future.

No one would care if he died. Not the mother who'd claimed to love him but left behind her only son in order to be with her secret lover. Not the father who hung himself from a tree after he'd gone bankrupt and his wife had eloped. And certainly not the servants who had ransacked the house for valuables and beaten him up as soon as Ruki's parents were out of the picture.

"Wait," Ruki pressed out and puzzled himself even further when he said, "...I'll accept the deal."

Maybe he still hadn't lost his hope yet despite everything.

The displeased expression on the white-haired boy's face was replaced with a satisfied smile. "Great. Hurry up and eat then."

Ruki wondered if he himself had ever been that bossy and snotty. He had to admit that yes, he'd been like that in the past, too, before he lost everything. He'd bossed the servants around as he pleased and physically punished them when they didn't do their job to his satisfaction, which was more often than not.

Judging from the weirdo's clothes and his behaviour, he might be an aristocrat like him, or rather, like Ruki _had been_. Still, Ruki definitely didn't like the way the other boy treated him though he had indeed done Ruki a favour by bringing him two rabbits. He didn't have any meat in a while and it was unlikely that he could ever afford it again.

"I can't eat these rabbits raw," Ruki pointed out.

This seemed to confuse the stranger. "Why not? I ate one earlier, too. They taste good while they're still fresh and their blood is still warm."

Ruki blanched at that response. _There is something seriously wrong with this boy. He must have hit his head really hard if he consumed a_ _ **whole**_ _rabbit completely_ _raw_ _,_ he mused, curling his lip in disgust at the disturbing mental image.

Was that even humanly possible?

The amnesiac might be dangerous indeed, like his gut has been telling him from the beginning. Ruki really didn't want to get involved with this kid, but his body couldn't resist a meal. And this wasn't accepting charity, because he'd have to give the other boy something in turn for the rabbits. It was a business deal and therefore acceptable.

"You'll get sick if you eat animals carelessly and without properly preparing the edible parts," Ruki lectured the white-haired boy in order to overplay his unease. "One should either cook the meat or prepare it before eating it. The skin, blood, organs, entrails, excess fat and other parts should be removed before consumption. Don't you know that? Anyway, I don't have any utensils to cook them, so I'll have to make a fire and roast the rabbits..."

He couldn't do that here in the alley. Not only wasn't there any firewood here but the other homeless people would also notice the smell of roasting meat in no time and would doubtlessly try to steal the rabbits from him. He'd seen homeless children from different gangs steal from each other before. Ruki didn't belong to any gang and was a former aristocrat, which only made him more of a target.

"There is enough firewood in the forest nearby," the amnesiac suggested, and Ruki begrudgingly agreed that it would be safest to eat the rabbits there.

Although being alone with the weirdo inside a forest might be just as dangerous... Ruki didn't have a choice if he wanted to eat something.

"Alright, then follow me, smelly boy," the stranger instructed him and walked out of the alley, Ruki trailing after him with a scowl.

The dark-haired boy had tucked the hares into his tailcoat to hide them from the people they passed as they left the town. They were beginning to rise from their sleep as dawn broke.

Ruki felt incredibly weak because of the lack of food over the past days and his hunger, but he refused to fall behind the shorter stranger. Sleeping on the ice cold ground hadn't helped his health either. His body and limbs were aching horribly.

It was a miracle that Ruki wasn't sick yet. The morning air was biting cold, too. He wondered if he would ever feel warm again.

"Don't call me 'smelly boy'. I'm Ruki," he said, trying to distract himself from his bad state of health and unease. Ruki also hated that one of his shortcomings was being constantly pointed out.

"Oh, fine, Ruki then. I think my name might be Nika."

"Isn't that a girl's name?" Ruki commented.

Nika shrugged. "That's the name that was engraved on one of the things I had on me when I woke up. I don't know for sure if it's my name."

"...I see."

What has Ruki gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my sweet summer child Ruki. This is only the beginning~!  
> There are certain characters who seem to be able to read minds in DL, so I thought giving Nika that ability wasn't too much of a stretch considering her background even if she had no idea what she was doing and is working solely on instinct :D
> 
> Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it and my characterisation of young Ruki, as well as the historical setting! Let me know your thoughts or give me kudos if you liked this :)  
> Stay safe and healthy in these difficult times!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nika is being creepy again and Ruki doesn't know any survival skills.

Ruki realised his mistake after they'd entered the forest. He didn't know how to make a fire without tools like a match, or even a flintstone. He also didn't have a knife to skin and gut the rabbits with, and even if he had one, he didn't know _how_ to do it. The hunger and cold must have affected his mental abilities and made him not think about all of this beforehand.

They stopped in a small clearing. Ruki set the hares down on the ground while Nika took a seat on a small boulder nearby and watched him curiously. Defiance welled up in Ruki. He wouldn't admit his defeat to the other boy.

Ruki decided to collect firewood first. Once he'd done that, he made a fireplace and tried rubbing two sticks together. Meanwhile, Nika was lounging on the boulder and dozing in the morning sun, which suited Ruki just fine.

It felt as if Ruki had been at it for hours when the white-haired boy with the girly name let out a tiny snore, yawned and blinked sleepily at him.

"Are you done with eating?"

This question only served to infuriate Ruki further. He was mad at his own inability and lack of knowledge. "No. I... I don't know how to start a fire without any tools," he begrudgingly admitted, wondering if the other boy might have some matches.

"Oh." Nika furrowed his brows as if trying to remember something. Then he got up from his place and sat down next to Ruki.

He held up a stick and glared at it for some time. Ruki wondered what in heaven's name the other boy was trying to achieve. Was Nika trying to ignite the stick with a heated look alone?

That would never wo–

A small, golden flame suddenly flickered up the stick. Ruki stared, and then gaped at what he was seeing. Was he hallucinating from his lack of food?

Even after blinking and rubbing his eyes the flame didn't disappear. Nika held the burning stick to the dried leaves and waited until they and several other twigs were on fire before throwing his stick into the fire.

Ruki could feel the warmth that radiated off of it. This was definitely no illusion. Mystified, Ruki turned to Nika. "How did you do that?"

"Magic, I think? I just had the _feeling_ that I would be able to light a fire. It was the same with hunting," was Nika's unhelpful answer.

Ruki couldn't believe it. Something like magic didn't exist. Getting some food in his stomach had priority though, he could contemplate how Nika had made the fire later. "About that... how did you catch the hares? Do you know how to make traps?"

"No, I don't. I just ran after the rabbits and caught them."

"..." Ruki was pretty certain that even a grown man would have difficulties with catching a hare with bare hands, so he was unable to believe that Nika had been able to do it.

However, the golden-eyed boy was absolutely weird, so a part of Ruki actually considered the possibility. He'd ignited the wood with a gaze alone and he even claimed to have eaten a _whole_ rabbit raw.

Raw and whole. Like a wild animal. Who in their right mind did that?

Anyway, now Ruki had to skin and gut the rabbits somehow... He let out a sigh and turned to Nika. He might as well try his luck. Ruki hadn't come this far just to give up even though he hated asking people for favours and would rather do everything by himself.

"Do you have a knife?"

"I do. You can have it, but you'll have to return it to me after you're done using it." Nika retrieved a gleaming knife from his pocket and gave it to Ruki without a second thought.

Once again he was astounded by the other boy's outlandishness and couldn't believe how gullible Nika was. Ruki could use the knife to hurt him if he had any ill intentions.

"You shouldn't give a stranger your only weapon so easily," he couldn't help but lecture the amnesiac.

Nika blinked at him in mild confusion. "But we're not strangers? I know your name. Besides," he continued and proceeded to retrieve something from his other pocket, "I still have this."

The white-haired boy grinned at Ruki as he held up another knife, exposing two unusually long and pointy upper canine teeth with the action.

Ruki just shook his head in disbelief. He'd have to give the strange amnesiac a proper explanation later. Nika didn't seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed.

If he'd been clever, he would have gone to the police station to ask for help instead of making a deal with a random stranger who lived on the street. On the other hand, if Nika somehow turned out to be an orphan or his guardians weren't found, he would be brought to the orphanage.

Ruki had heard some nasty rumours about it during his time on the streets. There was a reason why a lot of kids preferred to join gangs and living on the streets over living at that place.

Maybe Nika had made the right decision by asking Ruki in particular for help. The other street kids would have most likely robbed him, and the adults might have done so too before selling Nika to the orphanage to fill their pockets. With his unusual and pretty features Nika would have fetched them a nice sum.

Ruki began to cut open the rabbit with the surprisingly sharp knife, having no idea what he was doing. The knife itself was well-made and fitting for an aristocrat. After seeing Nika and his clean, expensive clothes in the daylight Ruki had no doubts that he was an aristocrat, albeit his attitude had already exposed Nika as such beforehand.

His musings were interrupted when Nika put a hand around his hand to grip the knife. He led Ruki's motions with it before he let go again.

"I think you have to do it like this..."

"You know how to skin and gut an animal?" Ruki asked incredulously. "Why did you eat your own rabbit raw then?

Nika thought about his question. "I like the internal organs best, but I don't mind the other parts either. Maybe that's why I know how do gut animals?"

Ruki accepted the pointers wordlessly after that disturbing answer, because he was too hungry to complain or care at this point, and did his best not to gag or throw up when he skinned, beheaded and gutted the rabbit. The sight and smell of the headless, skinned and gutted animal made him nauseous but his hunger far outweighed his disgust.

Ruki suspected that Nika had been on several hunting trips with his family before losing his memory if these kind of things were still deeply engraved in his brain. And that family had also taught him how to prepare animals for consumption.

When Ruki was finally done with the first rabbit, he sharpened a stick, put the rabbit on it, and stuck the stick into the ground close to the fire. His mouth watered while he was preparing the second rabbit. The smell of the roasting rabbit was heavenly.

Ruki had to remind himself that he'd have to eat slowly or he would throw everything up again because his stomach wasn't used to food anymore.

* * *

Nika had settled down on her boulder in the sun again and was watching Ruki eat his rabbit at a snail's pace. He gave her an explanation why he was doing so when she asked him. Apart from being affected by the cold, his stomach was apparently very sensitive, too.

Nika's stomach was completely fine despite Ruki's warning that one shouldn't eat a rabbit raw. Ruki was a very fragile person. Almost like a pup.

He had to stop eating after he'd consumed the meat of the first rabbit and kept the second one for later. It surprised her that he hadn't eaten her favourite parts, the internal organs, but the rabbits were now his, so he could do with them what he wanted even if she thought it was a waste to throw them away.

She showed him a stream, that she could hear in the distance, where he cleaned her knife and his hands. Nika used the opportunity to clean her bloodstained gloves, too.

Ruki inspected the knife once more in the sunlight before he returned it to her. He asked her if she knew what the foreign runes on it meant.

"The one I gave you says _'Nika',_ " she said and showed him the engraving on her other knife. "And this one says _'Little Spitfire'._ Have you heard any of this before?" Nika doubted that he'd ever met her before she found him in that alley, but it was worth a try.

"No. I haven't seen runes like that before either. And you spoke a foreign language when we first met. Do you know what it is called?"

" _You mean this language?"_ she asked in said language.

Ruki furrowed his brows in incomprehension. "Hmm, I've definitely never heard it before..."

"It's the same language that is engraved on my knives. I don't know what it's called, but I think it's an ancient language?" she mused.

Ruki appeared thoughtful. "Which one seems more familiar to you? German or that runic language?"

"The runic language, of course. I just learned to speak your language this morning by using magic." She'd never even heard of this 'German' that Ruki was talking about.

"...What? What are you saying? Things like magic don't exist."

Why would magic not exist? Could he not feel the magic coursing through his body like she could?

At Nika's confused look, Ruki changed the topic. "Did you know that the town we just left is called Mülhausen, and that we're in western Germany, close to the border to France?"

"No. As far as I can remember, I've never heard of any of these places before."

"Alright... Do you know today's date then?"

What did Ruki mean with that? "It's the time of the waxing moon?" Nika had the feeling that the moon phases were important.

"That wasn't what I asked. Today is the 10th November 1917," Ruki informed her.

All of this meant nothing to Nika either. "What's a 'November'? And what does 1917 mean?"

The boy gave her an incredulous look. "'November' is the name of the eleventh month of the year. And 1917 means that it's been one thousand nine hundred seventeen years since Jesus Christ was born. You have large gaps in your memory if you can't even remember that... Instead of focusing on what you don't remember, we should probably focus on what you actually _do_ remember," Ruki said.

Then his blue eyes met hers. She thought the colour was fascinating – she had the feeling that she'd never seen someone with blue eyes before.

"What can you tell me about yourself and how did you end up in Mülhausen?"

Ruki was finally doing his part of the bargain – helping her out.

* * *

After Nika had told him pretty much everything she remembered since waking up near that underground passageway, Ruki revealed the conclusions he'd come to.

He used a stick to poke around in the fire. They had returned to their small camp because it was more comfortable near the fire for Ruki. Nika had sat down on the boulder she'd claimed earlier.

"You're a high-ranking aristocrat, Nika, or at least belong to a very wealthy family. Because of the state of your clothes and your own uninjured, healthy state, I don't think that you were abandoned by your parents or abducted. You couldn't have been on your own for long either because you're too clean for that. Maybe you went out by yourself and fell on your head. It's weird though that there isn't any blood on the back of your head if the impact was bad enough to make you lose all of your memories..." Ruki ended his explanation.

Nika let his conclusions sink in. Ruki had definitely proven his worth. She was glad that she'd chosen him to ask for assistance.

"I think you might be right. I couldn't pick up any scents apart from mine in the area where I woke up. But I didn't leave any scent trails that I could follow back either, as if I'd appeared out of thin air."

By now she was aware that everyone and everything left a scent trail, so it struck her as odd that she hadn't left any trails around the underground waterway. If she had, she could have just followed it home.

Ruki gave her strange look. "You speak as if you have the nose of a dog. It's impossible for humans to track someone by smell alone. Our nose isn't that good."

Now Nika gave him a puzzled look. "Really? But I found you again by following your scent... And I also tracked down the rabbits by scent. Ah, but that was as a wolf. I can smell even better as a wolf."

She realised that she'd forgotten to mention that she could turn into a wolf. Ruki appeared even more unsettled than before.

"...People can't turn into wolves, Nika," he said slowly. "Just like they can't use magic."

"Of course they can," Nika disagreed. Why would he say that?

Ruki shook his head. "I can't and I don't know anyone who can use magic or turn into a wolf either. I've only read about it in fictional stories."

"But you know me."

"You can't do it either. It's impossible."

"It's not! You saw me light a stick with magic with your own eyes!"

"You must have used some kind of trick," Ruki argued.

"No, I didn't! I used magic to set it on fire," she protested, growing frustrated at his lack of faith in her and why he thought that magic didn't exist and that she couldn't use it. She wanted to prove him wrong. "Here, I'll show you that magic exists."

In no time at all Nika assumed her wolf form and stood proudly on the boulder, gazing down at Ruki with triumph reflected in her eyes.

"See?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Find out how Ruki's going to react in the next chapter! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed chapter 3! The pacing at the beginning of this story might be a little slow, but it'll get faster in time. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter (so I can read something, too) :D


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruki learns that trying to run away from a wolf is not very wise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone, I'm back with an update! I hope you'll enjoy Ruki's reaction to Nika's transformation and the chapter in general!

Ruki couldn't believe what had just happened right in front of his eyes and was in shock. From one second to the next there was a young white wolf where Nika had been standing. The wolf was even speaking with Nika's voice, as if just being able to speak wasn't already mind-boggling enough.

Suddenly, the wolf jumped down from the boulder and approached Ruki with gleaming golden eyes. The boy retreated on reflex and attempted to get away from the dangerous animal that was almost as large as he was tall, fear accelerating his heartbeat.

The wolf stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. “You're afraid of me? Why?” it asked Ruki as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

The black-haired boy shook in fright. “Y-You're a wolf! Of course I'm afraid!” He felt like a lunatic for talking to the animal that had appeared in the amnesiac's place.

Was he hallucinating? Was he hearing voices? Or was he dreaming? Ruki's mind was unable to comprehend this turn of events.

“Why?” the white animal tilted its head in question.

 _Because you're a wolf!_ Ruki was at a loss for words. Then, as sudden as the wolf had appeared, he disappeared and Nika was left in his stead.

It really had been Nika.

Nika could turn into a wolf.

Magic, or whatever it was called, might be real, too.

Ruki could only stare while he was trying to comprehend that. “What... what are you?” he finally pressed out in a whisper when he'd found his voice again, taking a shaky step back when Nika took a step in his direction.

“What do you mean? I'm just like you,” Nika didn't understand Ruki's question.

He shook his head. “No, you're not! A normal person can't turn into a wolf or set something on fire with their mind.”

Ruki wondered whether he could escape from the other boy... wolf, whatever he was. His flight instinct was overwhelming and everything in him screamed at him to get away from Nika.

“...You really can't do the same as me?” Nika inquired once more.

Ruki only shook his head again.

“Then what am I?”

“Definitely not... human,” Ruki said and swallowed.

“Hmm...” Nika crossed his arms and mulled over his words with closed eyes.

Ruki took that as his cue to slip away and ran.

Fallen leaves crunched under his shoes as he sprinted through the forest as fast as he could. He heard how Nika let out a surprised “Hey!” but ignored him in favour of getting away.

The black-haired boy's heart pounded wildly in his chest and his blood rushed through his veins as he raced through the forest.

How in the world did he get involved with a shapeshifting monster of all things? How did a creature like Nika even exist?

A person shouldn't be able to turn into a wolf! And there was also the thing with the fire and the... mind-reading. Just how much had Nika seen in his memories to be able to instantly learn the language? How did that even work?

How did any kind of magic work?

Ruki's breath was coming out in white puffs because it was such a cold morning, but he didn't stop running even though his malnourished body was protesting at the activity and growing weaker by the second. Twigs scratched his cheeks and ripped at his clothes, but he paid the small injuries no heed.

Ruki risked a glance back to check whether Nika was following him, and was relieved that that wasn't the case. However, he swore that he saw a flash of white in the corner of his eyes before it was gone again.

 _Just a play of the light, it's just a play of the light_ , he tried to reassure himself, but in his mind an image of a white wolf chasing him formed.

That mental image terrified him so much, that he pushed his malnourished body to its limits. Unfortunately, Ruki still grew tired quickly and the forest ground was treacherous. His shoe got caught on a tree root, and he stumbled and fell.

He brought his hands forward to catch himself, but the fall was hard enough to drive the air out of his lungs. A stone that was hidden underneath some leaves cut into his hand when he fell and made Ruki hiss in pain. He knew that he would also get bruises from the fall.

When he attempted to get up from his lying position, his eyes fell on black leather boots that had appeared right in front of him. His eyes trailed up the boots and his breath caught in horror as he discovered Nika staring down at him, looking pristine and unruffled, unlike Ruki who was completely out of breath, injured, and sweating.

“Did you want to play catch or were you trying to run away from me, Ruki?” Nika asked with a cruel grin and in a playful tone that sent a cold shiver down Ruki's spine.

Then the wolf-shifter's gaze settled on the injuries he had sustained during the fall and while running away. Nika licked his lips as if he was hungry, which unsettled Ruki even further.

“The smell of your blood was easy to follow... Its refreshing aroma even overpowers the other unpleasant odours...” Nika crouched down to his level, his eyes once again gleaming with an unnatural light as they fixated on Ruki.

Ruki felt like a mouse that had been caught by a cat and was unable to move out of fright. Before he could react, Nika had snatched his injured hand and lapped up the blood on it, licking over the long cut on the inside of his hand.

Ruki flinched at the action and tried to pry his hand away from the other boy's grip, but he wasn't strong enough. Nika didn't budge, no matter how hard he struggled against his hold.

Ruki's hand tingled as the wolf boy continued licking it. He could even feel Nika's fangs ghost over it, which sent more sparks of fear through him.

Would the inhuman creature bite him? Eat him?

“S-Stop it...! L-Let go...!” Ruki demanded weakly, still slightly out of breath, but Nika was either ignoring him or hadn't heard him.

Then the white-haired boy abruptly let go of his hand and stared at Ruki's cheek. His face neared Ruki's and before the human knew what was happening, a warm tongue slid over the cut on his cheek. Nika held onto his shoulders to keep Ruki in place.

This time as well the place where Nika was licking began to tingle, and Ruki closed his eyes in the hopes of escaping this highly disturbing scenario. But of course, that didn't happen.

Would Ruki end up as a monster's meal and be eaten alive? Was this his fate after almost dying on the streets? Did he fill his stomach only to end up in the stomach of another creature?

 _No! I don't want to be eaten alive!_ Ruki's survival instincts kicked in and he began to struggle even harder in his panic and fear.

However, despite his smaller size, Nika effortlessly managed to pin him down on his back and let out an animalistic growl that showed his elongated fangs. His lips and teeth were painted red with Ruki's blood, and he removed the liquid with his tongue as if it was a delicacy.

“Stop resisting me, Ruki. I'm trying to heal your wounds.”

Ruki paused for a moment when he registered the other boy's words. “H-Heal?”

Nika took his hand and almost shoved it into Ruki's face. Ruki couldn't believe his eyes when he saw that the deep cut on his hand had indeed begun to heal up. Could it really be...?

“...You're not going to e-eat me?” Ruki asked shakily.

The white-haired boy blinked at him and got up from Ruki's lap. “No? Why would I? You can't assist me if I eat you, can you?”

“...”

Ruki tried to wrap his mind around what he'd just heard. He touched his cheek that had been scratched by a twig, only to find slightly wet but unblemished skin. Nika had said the truth.

He was baffled. Still, Ruki couldn't just blindly trust him or his words. But if he wanted to escape from Nika, he'd have to be more clever about it. The wolf boy was clearly the faster and stronger one between them.

He flinched when Nika reached for his head, but he only removed a leaf that had gotten caught in Ruki's hair.

Then, Nika gave Ruki a dazzling smile. “Now you have a good reason to take a bath and wash your clothes!”

What was it with this change of topic?

“There are no bathtubs on the streets,” Ruki defended himself but hated how filthy he was, especially after sweating, falling to the ground, bleeding, and being licked by Nika.

He was also beginning to get cold as he cooled down from his sprint. He was even colder than he'd been before.

“There is a perfectly fine, clean stream in this forest, isn't there?”

“It's icy cold, though. And if I wash my clothes, I won't have anything to wear while they dry,” Ruki pointed out, slipping back into his normal persona as the fear and adrenaline slowly abated.

“You can wear my coat while your clothes are drying. But _only_ once you are clean and don't stink anymore. Come on,” Nika said and held out a hand to Ruki.

Ruki sent him a disgruntled look but took his hand with a pounding heart, still not trusting the wolf in human form. Nika easily pulled him to his feet.

Ruki felt a stab of pain in the ankle that had gotten caught on the root and grimaced as he put his weight on the foot.

“Did you hurt your leg?” Nika noticed his discomfort. “I can lick–”

“–It's fine,” Ruki interrupted him quickly.

He definitely didn't want to be licked again by the wolf boy.

* * *

“D-Do you really h-h-have to b-b-be here while I'm w-w-washing myself?” Ruki glared at Nika, who was sitting up in a tree close to the stream.

He'd decided to play along with the wolf boy for now and bide his time until there was a better opportunity to escape. Oh, and he also truly wanted to be clean and not be called smelly by Nika anymore.

Ruki had already washed his face, hair, upper body, tailcoat and shirt with the icy water, so he needed to clean his pants, socks and underwear now. The water had already made his hands and feet numb and was making him shiver uncontrollably, but he continued the cleaning session after he'd washed the rest of his clothes and stepped into the stream.

He hoped that all of this wasn't a ruse that would allow Nika to eat a clean, non-stinky meal.

The weirdo was holding a three-coloured leaf up at the sky and was inspecting it under the sunlight. “I do. You could slip on a stone and drown in the stream, or you could try to escape again and hurt yourself in the process. You're very fragile and I don't want you to die.”

Ruki was stunned by Nika's... concern? Concern for his food? “W-W-Why do you c-c-care? Why did you a-a-approach _me_ out of all p-p-people in the first place?”

“You didn't stink as badly as the other people. And you seem to be clever... if we ignore that idiotic escape attempt... so I have the best chance at figuring out my past with you at my side. By the way, did you really think you could outrun a wolf?” Nika asked, clearly amused.

Ruki shot him another nasty look and continued scrubbing at himself though he secretly liked that his intellect was being appreciated. It was one of the few things that he hadn't lost.

It also meant that Nika would let him live, at least until Ruki had helped him figure out his identity and past. He couldn't reveal too much information but also not too little, or the wolf-shifter might think that Ruki had become disposable and kill him.

When Ruki didn't have the feeling that dirt and grease were clinging to him anymore, he left the water and put on Nika's long tailcoat and his own shoes.

* * *

“I can hear your teeth chattering,” she commented as Ruki sat down close to the new fireplace.

Nika had used her magic again to light the fire. Ruki had accepted that it had to be magic of some kind after coming to terms with the idea that beings other than humans existed.

He'd put his wet clothes on tree branches close to the fire so they would dry faster. His second rabbit had been stolen by a fox during the chase, and the other fire had also gone out in that time.

She jumped down from the tree and approached Ruki, who was still shivering despite having her coat and sitting as close as possible to the fire without burning himself. He tensed when Nika turned into a wolf and curled her body around his back.

“W-W-What are you d-d-doing?” he asked suspiciously.

“Wolves keep their bodies together like this to share warmth,” she said and placed her head on her paws, feeling as if she'd heard that same line from someone before.

An image of a larger wolf with reddish-brown fur and golden eyes flashed behind her eyes.

Who was that?

Like before with the white-haired and golden-eyed man, Nika felt as if they had a close relationship. Maybe he was family, too?

Ruki only began to relax after several minutes had passed. Thanks to the midday sun that was high up in the sky and being sandwiched between her and the fire, his shivering ceased as well.

Nika had to admit it was very comfortable here. She was getting a little sleepy.

As Nika dozed off, she felt a small hand brushing tentatively over the fur on her head, but it might have been just her imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ruki: Nika is a dangerous animal that might eat me.  
> Also Ruki when his childish urges overcome him: *sees floof, can't resist touching it* 👉🏻🐺
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated! Leave a comment and/or kudos if you've enjoyed this chapter and story so far :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos!

The growling of Ruki's stomach roused Nika from her half-sleep. The sky had already taken on a reddish tint, signalling that sundown wasn't far away. Ruki stirred as she turned her head to look at him.

It seemed that he'd fallen asleep. He'd snuggled further into Nika's warm fur and was now clutching it lightly. His lips weren't blue like before, so she guessed that he wasn't cold anymore.

When his stomach produced another growl, Ruki frowned in his sleep, and then his eyes blinked open. At first he was disoriented and startled when she moved, then he relaxed.

“You didn't eat me in my sleep.”

Was he still going on about that? Nika huffed. “Rabbits taste way better than you.”

A small lie... Ruki's blood _had_ been delectable, but she wasn't going to tell him just how much she'd enjoyed it. He was already afraid of her and fear seemed to make him do stupid things, which she had no patience for.

Also, it would be a waste of time and effort if she ate him since she'd have to go to the trouble of finding another intelligent, non-smelly person that could help her. Besides, she liked the taste of his blood and a few sips of it every now and then would be a real treat and she couldn't drink it if Ruki was dead.

Ruki got up and checked whether he could wear his clothes again.

Apparently they were dry, because he put them on after he'd removed Nika's tailcoat. She could see several dark shadows and some more cuts on his naked body and offered to heal them, but he refused.

Once he had his clothes on, Nika stretched in her wolf form before she changed her form. Then, she approached Ruki and leaned in to sniff at him.

The boy stiffened. “What are you doing?”

“You don't stink anymore!” Nika announced happily and smiled.

That was a true blessing. Nika could only smell Ruki's own pleasant scent mixed with the smell of smoke from the fire as well as her own scent on him. She liked that since it would signal others that Ruki now belonged to her.

“Hmph.” Ruki crossed his arms but his stomach growled again.

“Are you already hungry again?” Nika asked him.

“You're not?”

“No.”

“That's weird. Humans should eat three times a day to stay healthy. But... considering that you aren't human... maybe your body works more like that of a wolf? Your sense of smell is unusually strong, too,” Ruki mused.

So Ruki couldn't smell as well as Nika could? “Maybe?”

“You were also able to hear this stream from afar, and you caught up to me fast without seeming out of breath.”

“That's because you're really slow,” she said matter-of-factly.

“You're just inhumanly fast,” Ruki retorted. “You were also able to spot me and hunt rabbits during the night. Can you see in the dark, Nika?”

“Yes, I can.” Wasn't that normal? She tilted her head. “Wait, does that mean that you, that _humans_ , can't see in the dark? Is that why you sleep during the night?” she asked in turn.

“We can't see as well in the dark as we can see in the light. It's one of the reasons why we sleep at night,” Ruki confirmed her suspicion.

She hummed. “That sounds troublesome.”

Another growl from Ruki's stomach reminded Nika that she had to get him something to eat, so she walked to the stream. She took off her gloves, boots, and socks, and pulled up her sleeves and the legs of her pants before she strode into the water. Nika had spotted fish in the river when she cleaned her gloves earlier that day.

“What are you doing?” Ruki asked her.

“Your second rabbit got stolen, didn't it?”

Ruki's curious eyes were on her as she patiently waited for a fish to pass her. When one did, Nika grabbed it and quickly pulled it out of the water. However, it was slick and wriggled out of her hands.

She growled in frustration but got into position again. It took her a few more tries before Nika caught another fish. This time she threw the animal in Ruki's direction, to the riverbank, before it could slip out of her hands.

But she aimed a little too well.

“Gah!” Ruki exclaimed as the fish met his face and then fell wiggling to the ground. “Did you really have to throw it right at my face?!” he complained and glowered at her.

She snickered in response and got out of the river, shaking off water on reflex when she was on the riverbank. Meanwhile Ruki pinned the fish down with a mildly disgusted face. Nika quickly gutted it with one of her knives and stuck it onto a sharp branch that she then gave to Ruki, so she could lit a fire again.

“...Thank you,” Ruki said quietly as he held his fish over the fire.

Nika smiled at him, feeling proud of her abilities. Since she'd decided to keep him and she was obviously the stronger one between them, she was responsible for him.

* * *

When Ruki was done with eating, he suggested that they could start searching for more clues about Nika's identity at the place where he'd woken up. The wolf-shifter agreed and got up from his sitting place.

“Alright, let's go then.”

“I didn't mean now. I meant in the morning. It's already dark, and, like I already told you, I can't see well during the night.”

Ruki didn't want to move away from the fire either. He was glad that he felt warm for once. Maybe he should have slept in the forest from the beginning instead of lying on the cold cobblestones in the streets.

It was definitely more comfortable here. If only he knew how to make a fire.

Nika pouted. “But the moon is out again and it's not that far away.”

“It's getting colder by the minute though, and I'd rather not risk getting sick. I can't help you if I get ill.”

The white-haired boy frowned and mumbled something in his strange native language. “What do 'sick' and 'ill' mean?”

Ruki couldn't believe that Nika didn't know what 'sick' and 'ill' meant. Has he never been sick? “It means that I might start to cough or sneeze and that my body becomes weak–”

“– _Becomes_ weak?! But you're already so weak _now_!” Nika was shocked.

“I'm not weak,” Ruki hissed. “I'm a perfectly normal human.”

The wolf boy seemed to mull over his words. “...Fine,” Nika reluctantly agreed. “We'll go in the morning. But what am I supposed to do the whole night?”

“Sleep like we humans do,” Ruki suggested grumpily, not feeling sympathetic in the least.

Nika's frown deepened. “Bah. We just slept earlier!”

“That may be the case, but _I'm_ not a nocturnal animal like you.”

Nika let out an inhuman growl in response that made the hairs on Ruki's arms stand and sent a shiver of fear down his spine. “I'm not a mere animal!”

“Then what are you?” Ruki asked once more.

“The best, the most powerful species,” Nika seemed to respond without thinking and furrowed his brows at his own words.

“What kind of species?”

The white-haired boy thought hard about it and looked frustrated when he didn't have an answer to Ruki's question.

“Maybe it'll come back in time.”

Nika crossed his arms, appearing to be mulling over it for a bit longer.

* * *

During the night, while Ruki was sleeping, Nika explored the surrounding area and took a dip in the river herself. The water was of a refreshing temperature in her opinion, she didn't understand why Ruki was so affected by it. He really was like a pup.

For this reason she didn't move too far away from Ruki's resting place, just in case she needed to protect him or add more wood to the fire to keep it going. Nika feared that a fox might kill him and eat him in his sleep.

That would be very inconvenient.

* * *

As soon as the first light of morning shone through the tree branches, she shook Ruki by his shoulder to wake him. She was growing impatient. He grumbled irritably but got up while giving her the stink eye.

His mood immediately brightened when she shoved another freshly caught, gutted and roasted fish on a stick in his face.

“Hurry up and eat. I'm tired of waiting,” Nika said impatiently.

Ruki shot her a mildly irritated look at the command but since his stomach let out a low growl at the sight of the fish, he accepted the treat and began eating. Once he had consumed his breakfast, Ruki went behind a tree.

Nika wondered what he was doing as she put out the fire when she heard the telltale sound that told her that he was relieving himself. Ruki washed himself at the river afterwards, though he didn't go in this time, and also drank some of the water before he was ready to go.

“Follow me,” Nika told him as she trudged through the forest with confident steps.

* * *

The sun hung high in the sky by now, but Ruki was shivering because of the cold wind and low temperatures. He couldn't feel his feet anymore and was stumbling along the path, getting slower and slower.

His ankle hurt, throbbed with every beat of his heart, and he suspected that it was swollen. They'd been walking for hours, but Nika didn't slow down and he refused to admit his defeat to someone who was younger than him, even if Nika wasn't human. So, he bit his lip and continued limping forward, his breath coming out quickly in white puffs.

However, a few minutes later, Nika finally noticed that Ruki was lagging behind and returned to his side. The wolf boy inspected him.

“You're a mess.”

“Shut... up,” Ruki wheezed as even more heat crept into his cheeks.

Nika sighed. “It's gonna take forever to get to that place if we continue at this slow pace. Why is your ankle still not healed yet? It's been hours since you hurt it!”

“Humans... need a few... days to... heal something... like this... if they... rest properly,” Ruki said between breaths, too exhausted to argue at this point.

The other boy frowned. “Does that mean that your ankle became worse because you've been walking instead of resting?”

Ruki nodded in response and leaned against one of the trees that grew along the path. Nika seemed to mull about something before turning into a wolf. Ruki startled at the change and tensed, but didn't move when Nika approached him.

“Get on my back,” the wolf said and laid down in front of him.

Ruki stared at the young white wolf that was as tall as the stuffed adult wolf he'd once seen in the house of one of his father's business associates. Nika was certainly large enough to comfortably carry Ruki, but...

“Why?” he asked the wolf boy suspiciously.

“You won't heal if you don't rest, right? Besides, you're slowing us down.”

Ruki threw him a dirty look. However, after a moment of hesitation, he sat down on Nika's back, holding onto the thick fur of the wolf-shifter when he got up.

Ruki had ridden a horse and pony before, but never did he think that he'd be riding a wolf one day. His life had truly taken a bizarre turn, he thought, when the wolf began to trot comfortably along the path and he huddled against the warm fur.

Ruki should be trying to get away from the supernatural creature that had scared him to death just yesterday, but, somehow, he felt more alive with Nika around. The fact that he was actually doing something worthwhile instead of wasting away in a stinky back alley helped, too.

Later, he told himself. He'd find a way to escape from the wolf boy later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope whoever reads this enjoyed the chapter and the Ruki & Nika shenanigans!
> 
> Leave me a comment/kudos to tell me whether you like(d) this chapter/story so far, or if you have suggestions for improvement etc. since English is not my native language. I'd really appreciate it!


End file.
